Brighton and Brentford involvement in Sheffield United transfer saga is bittersweet | OneFootball

Premier League clubs being interested in Oliver Sorensen is both good and bad news for the Blades

Sheffield United are reportedly eyeing up a move for FC Midtjylland midfielder Oliver Sorensen to bolster their ranks in January, but face stiff competition from Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford, which is both good, and bad, news for the Blades' potential transfer dealings.

Chris Wilder's side look set to be firmly involved in the battle for promotion this season, and while their iconic boss was able to add numerous new players to his squad last summer, the uncertainty surrounding the club’s owners certainly proved a stumbling block in their ability to build a top Championship side,

It is not a surprise, therefore, to see them already aiming to add to their squad in the January window, and reports of their interest in Sorensen have been revealed by transfer journalist, Alan Nixon, who claims that they are leading the race for the 22-year-old Dane's signature.

Nixon has revealed that Sorensen would be available for around £5 million, but he is also being tracked by Premier League sides Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion, so it does seem unlikely that the Blades will pull off a deal in the new year if either of those clubs are serious about pursuing his signature.

With that said, while they may be set to fall short in convincing Sorensen to join their Championship promotion hunt, United can certainly take solace in being linked to the same player as the Seagulls and the Bees, with both clubs lauded within English football for their respective recent track records with shrewd transfers from abroad.

Oliver Sorensen would be a smart signing for the Blades

Sorensen is a relatively unknown player on these shores, but he has been a part of Midtjylland's senior side for over four years now, and is currently regarded as one of the best young midfield talents in the Danish Superliga.

He joined the club's academy as a 15-year-old, and spent time out on loan at Danish 1st Division side FC Fredericia in 2020, and then at Norwegian Eliteserien club HamKam in 2022, before going on to become a mainstay in the Wolves' first-team.

Sorensen made 37 appearances as they finished seventh in the league in the 2022/23 campaign, as he won the club's Player of the Year award for his impressive performances.

The Denmark youth international was again a key part of the starting eleven last season with 38 appearances as Midtjylland went on to win the Superliga title for just the fourth time in their history.

He has featured 16 times in all competitions so far this term, with five appearances and one goal in the Champions League qualifying phase, one appearance in the Europa League, and four goals in 10 games in the Superliga with the club currently sat top of the table.

Sorensen is an energetic, imposing box-to-box midfielder who likes to drive forward from the middle of the park and put a tackle in, as well as having an eye for a goal, and his recent form means it will come as no shock that he is being linked to such names as the Blades, Brentford and Brighton.

Brighton and Brentford involvement makes Sheffield United interest bittersweet

Sorensen would clearly be a shrewd acquisition for the Blades, but he may be too out of reach for them, even if they can stump up the cash in January, due to top-flight interest.

IIt's going to be tough for Wilder and the Blades to convince the 22-year-old to join them over the Seagulls or the Bees, yet the sheer fact they are linked to the same player as the Premier League duo surely means they are on to a good thing regardless.

Brentford have enjoyed a rapid rise to become an established top-flight club in the last few years under Danish boss Thomas Frank, and the strong data element added to their recruitment policy has led to some seriously shrewd signings to help aid their rise, particularly from their head-coach's native country.

Bees captain Christian Norgaard joined the club from Fiorentina for a reported fee of £2.8m in 2019, while Mathias Jensen signed from Celta Vigo for around £3.5m in the same summer, and both players have gone on to become vital to the Bees' in their journey from the Championship to the Premier League, so Frank clearly feels as if Sorensen can have a similar impact as they push for a European spot this season.

Brighton follow a very similar model to that of Brentford, and have become one of the best non top-six clubs in English football in recent years as a result of their successes, with numerous lesser-known players bought for cheap fees and sold on for massive profits, such as Moises Caicedo, Alexis MacAllister, Marc Cucurella and Yves Bissouma.

With that said, it clearly can only be a positive that Sheffield United are linked to a player that both Brighton and Brentford are also after, and if he can be convinced to make the move to Bramall Lane in the new year, then the Blades should be on to a real winner.